Where's the Hendrix influence?

Ok, this is why I don't like the blond David. He railed against the bubblegum pop he was forced to sing in the early 70s, repeating to anyone who would listen that his greatest musical influences were Hendrix, Cream, Clapton, The Beatles, etc. yet, after an almost ten year absence from recording, he comes back with "The Last Kiss", a ballad I can't imagine any of his music heroes ever recording. Not only that, the song wasn't even original: it's the same melody as Cliff Richard's "Young Love" but with a slower tempo and different lyrics (Alan Tarney co-wrote the song and produced both Richard and Cassidy.) One redeeming feature of the song: George Michael's sighing background vocals.

"The Last Kiss" can be found on his album "Romance" released in 1985. I still have not managed to listen to the whole album in one sitting. Trying to do so as I type this entry. The lyrics to the first track, "Romance", make me wince. Granted, I'm not big on modern ballads and romantic songs but this one (and its video, especially) is particularly cheesy. David Cassidy dissed the Partridge Family's "bubblegum pop" for this? The sappiest PF song's lyrics are world's better than the "Romance" lyrics. Or is it the music that's rubbing me the wrong way? The PF discography has peppier tunes. "The Last Kiss" just wasn't my style back in the day (mind you, it was easy to overlook as it wasn't even released in North America) and I guess it still isn't. His earlier work has aged better.

Tell me, "The Last Kiss", yay or nay?